U.S. Treas Sec Bessent didn’t back Trump assertion that China tariff talks were under way

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke with US media on Sunday. Bessent said that while he spoke with his Chinese counterparts last week during International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington, tariffs were not mentioned!

Further in the interview Bessent refused to back up Trump’s assertion that Trump had spoken with China’s President Xi:

• “I don’t know if President Trump has spoken with President Xi”

Bessent went on to comment on why Xi had not spoken with Trump:

• “I think they’re playing to a different audience.”

Last week Bessent said tariff negotiations with Beijing would be a “slog”. He didn’t float any timetable.

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Bessent is showing himself as one of the few (the only?) of Trump’s officials who is game enough to dispute Trump’s lack of veracity in public.

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at www.forexlive.com.